Whitney Houston's Funeral Will Be Invite-Only, No Public Memorial
Whitney Houston's family will hold a private, invitation-only funeral on Saturday in the same church where the music icon spent her childhood singing in the choir.
Houston's family had originally planned to hold a public memorial service at the 18,000-seat Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but later canceled the event.
The private funeral will take place at noon at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston and her family attended services for many years. Cissy Houston, Whitney's mother, served as the church's Minister of Sacred Music for more than 54 years and is still "a faithful member," according to a press release on the website.
Carolyn Whigham, owner of Whigham Funeral Home, which is handling the arrangements, said the family wanted to grieve privately in a more intimate setting.
"They have shared her for 30-some years with the city, with the state, with the world," Whigham said. "This is their time now for their farewell."
Houston's body was flown via actor-director Tyler Perry's private jet to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey last night. Police then escorted a 12-car-procession to Whigham Funeral Home, where the body of the beloved songstress arrived in a gold hearse. Whigham also handled funeral arrangements for Houston's father, John, in 2003.
Houston was born in Newark and grew up in East Orange, but continued to attend New Hope Baptist where she and cousin Dionne Warwick sang in the choir.
It's still unknown where Houston's final resting place will be. But TMZ reports that both her mother and Warwick agreed to bury her in Newark, though they wanted her laid to rest in Atlanta, saying the city gave the singer some of her fondest memories.
The R&B legend was found dead in a Beverly Hilton hotel bathtub Saturday afternoon, just hours before she was scheduled to perform at her mentor Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash. The results of an autopsy performed Sunday revealed no obvious signs of foul play or trauma, but toxicology test results won't be known for weeks.
While the funeral will not be open to the public or media, fans are expected to flock to the church to say farewell to the hometown girl whose golden pipes were heard around the world.
